Centrifugal amalgamator



1935- B. B. WALTMAN CENTRIFUGAL AMALGAMATOR Filed Dec. 26, 1933 Patented Jan. 22, 1935 OENTRIFUGAL AMA'LGA'MATQRJ I Burton B. Waltman, Denver,{(7olo'.,-assignorof one-fourth to James Ernest Higson, and onefourth to Fred S. Cass, both ofDenver, 0010.,

and one-fourth to John J Colo.

Cody, Lockwood,

Application December-26,1933, serial swim:

' 9 Claims. (circa-9199)" f a I V t rings; When the machine is operating, the con- -'This invention relatesto improvements in centrifugal ore separators and has reference more .the rings; and when the bowl'is to be cleaned, the outer bowl isdropped, thereby removing it from sealingcontact and permitting the contents particularly to the construction ofthe rotating bowl in which the separation takes place.

In the recovery of precious metals, such as gold frompulp or-from placer sand andjgravel, it is customary to employ-acentrifugal device comprising a bowl that is open at its top and whose sides are provided with a plurality of grooves or rifiies. The pulp is introduced into the bowl near its bottom and the bowl-is also provided with a quantity of mercury. When the bowl is rotated at a high speed'the mercury will distribute itself along the sidesof the bowl and when the pulp enters the bowl and attains a high rotary speed, the centrifugal force acting-differentially .on the different constituents of the pulp will produce .forces that tend' to move'the denser particles towards the outside and into contact withthe mercury. When themetal to be separated isgold, the preferred embodiment'of the invention h -been illustrated, and in which:

this is very'dense compared to the gangue and therefore a larger differential action takes'place thanwhen gravity alone is depended on. When mercury is employed in connection with the separation, the gold will amalgamate with themercury and can befremoved in the ordinary'man- 'ner. I

It has been found that centrifugalbowls provided with grooves in their: inner surfaces are very difficult to clean and that the grooves fillup I veryrapidly, making it necessary to stop the ma- =bow1 showing aslightlymodified construction;

chine frequently for cleaning.

Y 5 It is an object of this'invention to produce a centrifugal bowl of such construction that it can be easily and quickly cleaned, and which will also function for a longer time than the ordinary bowl without being cleaned, and in this,;way a great saving of time is effected, thereby increasing the capacity per machine.

This invention, briefly described, consists of a bowlformed in part by a hub-like membenthat is secured to a vertical shaft and provided with an outwardly extending flange. Secured to the flange and projecting outwardly and upwardly therefrom are a plurality of supporting arms whose upper ends are attached to a clamping ring. A plurality of rings ofv different diameters are supported-on therarms and 'heldinspaced relation by suitable spacers and the assembly is held in operative position by means of the clamping ring; Abowl of imperforate material is securedto the shaft and is of such size and shape that it can be moved upwardly against the outer surface of the ring assembly for the purpose of closing the bottoms of thelopenings between the values therefrom.

centrateswill accumulate .in'the spaces between shape which communicatewith the spaces between the'rings *and'serv to set up currents in the pulp that facilitate the separation of the The above andother apparent as this description proceeds are attained'by means-of a construction and-an arrangement of parts'that will nowbe described in detaiLland reference for this purpose will now objects that may become .15

be had to the accompanying drawing in which "Figlfl is a transverse vertical section of the improved machine; l

Fig.2 is a transversediametrical section of the bowl; Fig. 3 is a sectionithrough the upper'edge of i the bowl showing the :parts in substantially full 7 size;

Fig. 4 is'a s ectiorrtaken on line4--4, Fig. 2} and Fig. 5 is another section-through a side of the In thedrawing reference numerals 6 designate verticalkend; members of a supporting frame. There arepreferably four end-members and the two side members are connected at their vlower ends by'means of angle irons 7 and 'at-their upper ends by similar angle irons which-have been vdes- 'ignated by reference numerals-8. The .twoend posts at each end are connected by means of bottom .and similar angle irons Q10; locatedjat the top." Supported on the top of the, frame is asteel plate 11 that is provided atgits center with a cirthe frame members 8 are, bearing blocks 13 i which the shaft 14 is journaled.

Thebearing:15 is supported from the by means of bars 16 and. this hearing is located approximately at the center of theopening in' the plate. A smaller bearing 17 is supported from the side members? by means of supporting members plate 11 C40 transverse. angle irons 9 which are located at-the suitable prime mover.

18. A shaft 19 is journaled in the two bearings and 17 and is provided at its upper end with a bevel gear or pinion 20. An antifriction thrust bearing 21 is located between the under side of 5 the pinion and the upper end of bearing 15. shaft lis proyidedyvith a bevel gear orlpinion 22 that is in mesh with the geary and is also provided with a pulley 23 by means of which power can be transmitted to the shaft froma Secured to the shaft is a hub' 24 whose upper end is .piioizi'dedf-withlan outwardly extending flange 25, In the drawing the upper surface of thej'flangeflisinclined out wardly and downwardly so. as to..form-.a frustole 15 conical surface. The outer edge ofwthe-mlper, sur-;

face of the flange is provided with an annular groove 26. Secured to the unden surface ofthe,

flange are a plurality of upwardly and-outwardly inclined supports or arms 2'7. The upper. surface 20 of each arm is concave and curved approximately as shown in -Figc -2 and -the extremeupperzends are bent outwardly, asindicate'd 'by referencenm emerah 28. Inthe drawing J four -arm's; 2-7 have been shown, but a largennumbercan beemployed,

25 i if desired; :"I'he upper ends of "the sup orting r arms have secured to t-hema ring 29 that is fastened by means of screws 30. The bowlaassembly is formed from a plurality: of separate and independent rings 31 of progressively: largensize-irom the bottom upwardlyzfziThese' rings -2 are of the general {shape shown in -Fig. 3; fronrwhich it will i be seen the inner surface iscurved onra. radius r. The-upperwalliof each-ring .is=-'cut .awayso as to form a recess 32. Extending upwardlyifromsthe bottomof 1 each kr ecessare 'spacin'gi lugs- 34 of whichoneis preferably' located onieachside of each-supporting armfi27 in thevmannerashown in Fig. The spacing lugs are longer than the depth 1 of --'the recess -and:"-therefore when the rings are assembled; the'bottomisurface 35 of e'ach ring will be locateda-shoi't distance iabwe the upper edge 36 of the ring directly beneath;- whereby an open- "ing is forme'd leading into the recess. A'fter -the rings have been assembled, they areclamped -tm 5 g'ether by-m'eans of the -scre'ws -30. It :will be obvious that unless some means is provided for-sealing the ring iassembly at-the back,=the pulp will flow. outwardly" throughA-the I'openings and inorder to prevent this an imperforate bowl 37 is pro- ='50 vised whichnas -the same general shape on its inner surface 'as the outer surface of the ring assembly arid-"the bowl istalso lined :with' a sheet 5 38; preferably of rubber, so that when-itismoved 1 into I position; t the rubber will engage the iouter m of the" proper size to receive the" hub-243 and the shaft is provided with :ai threbided section"40 60 with which a clarr lping nut 41 is operativelyicom surface of the rubber seal away from the rings and this permits the recesses to be cleaned by directing into them a stream of water. The imperforate bowl has a discharge opening 4'7 that is normally closed by a plug 48. A proper counterbalanceiorthe parts.4'1 and A8 is vprovided on :the opposite side of the bowl.; Secured to rthe lower end of hub 15 is a tubular member 49 that ter- V-.m-inates a short distance above the upper surface of flange 25 and the upper end of this tubular member'i's :connected by means of pipes 50 to a .feedhopper 51. Thepulp is fed to the hopper 51 ,andiflows. downwardly through the pipes 50 and .lthroughthe annular space between the shaft and githe tubulani-member 49 and is delivered to the bowl near the bottom thereof. When the bowl rotates and pulpis fed at a predetermined rate to'thecenterthereof; this pulp will assume the SDQQCIQOI; rotation of the bowl and will flow upwardly along the inner surface of the ring as- -sem'bly' The centrifugal forcedue to the rotation will act upon the several particles in proportion to their mass or density and theheavy particles will be moved outwardly towards-the inner surfaceof the bo'wl and will pass through thefi openingsbetween'the rings and into the'recesses where the :gold' and other heavier materials will accumulates The peculiar configuration of the inner surface of the 1 ring assembly produces recesses and remain there while the lighter particles will rejoin the pulp stream "and ultimately overflow the bowl in the direction of the arrow in Fig.3. Surrounding the bowl is a launderhaving' an-outer wall 52 and an inner wall 53. "The upper end of the outer wallis connected withthe '-'supportgplate; by means of 1 bolts 54; The lower ends of the walls are connected: by a bottom 55 -andat the lowest point of thebottom-the launder is connected with-a discharge; pipe 56. In order "to F facilitate the movement of T the material towards theinner surface ofthe bowlassembly and to produce certain agitations that assist in the separation; curved bars 5'7 have-theirupper ends c'onnecte'd to the under side of the plate 11'- by means of bolts 58, which pass through elongated parts of -the bars,it is given an outward-movei -ment that'assiststhe centrifugalforce in producing'the separation.

In Fig. 5a slightly 'different'form of recess has been shown and this differs from that shown in Fig.3 primarily in this, that the upperring has a portion of itslower surface cut away asindicated byreference numeral 61. This construction gives a somewhat larger recess that can be'more '--readily cleanedthanthe-Rcess shown in'Fig. 3.

It will be seen from the above description that 1:.abowl constructed in accordance withthis inventioncan be easily'cleaned because when'the imperforate bowl is movedaway from'the ring assembly/the outer edges of the recesses become -open"and itis only necessary'then-to'rotatezthe f bowl slowly and directly against the inner surzfac'e thereof 1 a s'prayrof. *water which loosens :the accumulations invthe recesses (and :washes them down into .the :outer :bowl from which they are :.-removedl;throug'h=:the;.opening .47.

streams ofpu'lp that passalong thearcuate inner 430 =1'-, 9ss,e2s

attached at one end to the flangeand'extending outwardly "at an ac'l'ite angle with respect to the -'sh 'aft, a clampi'ng ring secured to' the outer ends Particular attentioniis 'calledto the coristru- "-tio'n' of =therir'igs and more particularly tdth fact "that the F inner "surfaces of the rings form what may be termed circular grooves that 'force the ferent 'sizes assemble'd in parallel" relation I be- 1 ;-tween theouter edgeof the-flangeand the clamping ring-,"the sizes of the rings conforming to the pulp to'move into a peculiar-path"-that has been found 'to greatly facilitate the separating opera- 1 1 11 .v 3:.5, 1"-'..Z:.,,.' L

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A bowl for use with a centrifugal ore separator, comprising, in combination, a central shaft, a flange surrounding the shaft, a plurality of upwardly concave bars, secured at their lower ends to the flange, a plurality of rings supported on the bars, each ring having a plurality of spacing lugs that engage the. adjacent ring, the uppermost ring being attached to the upper ends of the straps by bolts which serve as means for clamping the rings in assembled relation, a bowl of imperforate material enclosing the ring assembly, and means for moving the bowl towards and away from the ring assembly.

2. A bowl for use with a centrifugal ore separator, comprising, in combination, a shaft mounted for rotation, a flange carried by the shaft, a

plurality of curved supporting bars secured at their lower ends to the flange, said bars being concave on their upper sides, a plurality of rings of different diameters, supported on the bars, the several rings having overlapping sides and spacing lugs, a clamping ring secured to the ends of the curved bars, bolts for securing the clamping ring to the bars and for forcing the rings comprising the assembly into contact, and a bowl of imperforate material surrounding the ring assembly, and in contact with the outer surfaces thereof.

3. A bowl for use with a centrifugal ore separator, comp-rising, in combination, ashaft mounted for rotation, a flange carried by the shaft, a plurality of curved supporting bars secured at their lower ends to the flange, said bars being concave on their upper sides, a plurality of rings of different diameters, supported on the bars, the several rings having overlapping sides and spacing lugs, a clamping ring secured to the ends of the curved bars, bolts for securing the clamping ring to the bars and for forcing the rings comprising the assembly into contact, a bowl of imperforate material surrounding the ring assembly and in contact with the outer surfaces thereof, and means for adjusting the position of the bowl Wit respect to the ring assembly.

4. A bowl for use with a centrifugal ore separator, comprising, in combination, a shaft mounted for rotation, a flange carried by the shaft, a plurality of curved supporting bars secured at their lower ends to the flange, said bars being concave on their upper sides, a plurality of rings of different diameters supported on the bars, the several rings having overlapping sides and spacing lugs, a clamping ring secured to the ends of the curved bars, bolts for securing the clamping ring to the bars and for forcing the rings comprising the assembly into contact, a bowl of imperforate material surrounding the ring assembly and in contact with the outer surfaces thereof, and means for adjusting the position of the bowl with respect to the ring assembly, the bowl having a rubber lining for engaging the outside of the ring assembly.

5. A bowl for use with centrifugal ore separators, comprising, in combination, a shaft, a hub 'of'the' supp'o'rting bars, a plurality of rings of difspace between the bars at that particular point, means for spacing the surfaces of adjacent rings to provide an annular recess between each pair of adjacent rings, a bowl of imperforate material having its bottom provided with an axial opening for the reception of the hub on the shaft, a nut threadedly connected with the shaft below the hub, the nut having a circular groove in its surface, and means attached to the bowl and engaging the groove in the nut whereby a rotation of the nut will move the bowl towards and away from the ring assembly.

6. A bowl for use with a centrifugal ore separator, comprising, in combination, a shaft, a hub secured to the shaft, the hub having an outwardly extending flange, a plurality of supporting bars attached at one end to the flange and extending outwardly at an actute angle with respect to the shaft, a clamping ring secured to the outer ends of the supporting bars, a plurality of rings of different sizes assembled in parallel relation be-' tween the outer edge of the flange and the clamping ring, the sizes of the rings conforming to the space between'the bars at that particular 7 point, means for spacing the surfaces of adjacent rings to provide an annular recess between each pair of adjacent rings, a bowl of imperforate material having its bottom provided with an axial opening for the reception of the hub on the shaft, a nut threadedly connected with the shaft below the hub, the nut having a circular groove in its surface, means attached to the bowl and engaging the groove in the nut whereby a rotation of the nut will move the bowl towards and away from the ring assembly, and'a rubber lining for the bowl. 7

'7. A bowl for use with centrifugal ore separators, comprising, in combination, a shaft mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, the shaft having an outwardly extending flange, a plurality of bars secured at their lower ends to the flange and'extending upwardly and outwardly therefromya plurality of rings of different diameters supported on the bars, means for spacing the adjacent surfaces of the rings to form recesses, the recesses being enlarged, towards the outside of the rings, a bowl of imperforate material surrounding the ring assembly. and forming an outer wall for the recesses, and means for moving the bowl in the direction of the length of the shaft.

8. A bowl for usewith centrifugal ore separators, comprising, in combination, a shaft mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, the shaft having an outwardly extending flange, a plurality 'of bars securedat their lower ends to the flange and extending upwardly and outwardly there-'- from, a plurality of rings of different diameters supported on the bars,j means for spacing the adjacent surfaces of the rings to form recesses, the

recesses being enlarged, towards the outside of the "rings, a bowl of imperforat'e material surrounding the ring assembly and forming an outer wall for the recesses, said bowl having a sheet rubber lining, and means for moving the bowl in the direction of the length of the shaft.

9. A bowl for use with centrifugal ore separators, comprising, in combination, a shaft mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, the shaft 

